The thing about “living in Dallas” is that relatively few people actually live IN Dallas. During my 8 years in the area, I lived in Grapevine, Highland Park, Plano, Irving and in an old warehouse down town.

All offered very different lifestyles, and I was at times drunk, sober, married, single, working, unemployed, wealthy and broke, all of which contributed to my perspective of how certain areas were to live in!

If there are kids, then school district becomes a huge issue, and if a job is already in place, then acceptable commuting time from the place of the job will narrow down the areas to live in.

One very good thing to note if considering a move, is that North Dallas (Plano, Richardson etc) area real estate is a bargain compared to many places in the country

It's rarely rocket science, it's usually just math: then again if you can't do the math.......